Game Creation Tools Classification

An online database of tools to create videogames

This site is an online and collaborative classification system suited to videogame creation tools. The tools are classified according to their:

• Overall category: A global category computed after all the criteria below.
• Type: Does the tool allow to create new games? Or is it limited to the modification of existing games?
• Videogame genre: What kind of videogames can you create with the tool?
• Initial state: How can you create the initial state of the game (level editors, text files...)?
• Input methods: What kind of input devices can be used to create games?
• Rules of the game: How can you design the rules of the game: (visual editor, programming language...)?
• Output: How can you create the graphics and sounds for your game? Is there any technical limitation related to this part (2D, 3D)?

Overall category

After an analysis of the other criteria, it's possible to classify each title in a global category.
These categories are deduced from the type of each tool, alongside with its features related to the creation of the different videogames parts (initial state, input methods, rules of the game and output):

• Game creation toolkit: software allowing to create new autonomous games, without requiring you to modify a previously existing game.
• Modding tool: software only allowing to modify an existing game. These modifications can then be easily redistibuted through what is called a "mod".
• Level editor: software only allowing to create the initial state of the game, such as a "level", a "track", a "map"...
• Misc. tool: software only allowing to create any other videogame part (input methods, rules of the game or output).
• Gaming 2.0: any software from one of the above categories that get connected to an integrated sharing platform, which officially allows to exchange the games created with the tool.

Type of tools

Videogames creation tools can be divided in two categories:

• Tools allowing to create new autonomous videogames, without requiring you to start from an existing videogame.
• Tools only allowing to modify an existing game, and to redistribute these modifications in an separate way.

These two categories of tools can also be connected to an integrated sharing platform, which allows to exchange the games created over the Internet. Only "official" sharing platform, i.e. those created by the developpers of the tool, are referenced with this criteria.

Videogame genre

Each tool usually allows you to create games coming from one or several videogames genres, such as:

• Any videogame genre
• Fighting
• Platform
• Racing
• Shooter
• Adventure & Role
• Management
• Strategy
• Misc. genre

Initial state (levels...)

Each tool usually features one or several ways to create the initial state of the game, such as:

• Import (text file...)
• Select in library
• Visual editor

Input methods

Each tool usually features one or several input methods to be used in your game, such as:

• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Misc. (pad, mat...)

Rules of the game

Each tool usually features one or several ways to create the rules of the game, such as:

• Configure parameters
• Visual editor
• Proprietary script language
• Common programming language

Output (graphics, sounds...)

Each tool usually features one or several ways to create the output of the game, such as:

• Import (images, sounds...)
• Select in library
• Visual editor

These differents ways are also related to a technological choice on the type of display for the game created:

• 2D display
• 3D display
• Text-based display